In the mayor's house of Huang Yangping, the mayor Zhang Yan personally accompanied him and held a reception banquet. Strong soldiers and horses are the greatest source of confidence. With a thousand elite frontier troops stationed, there will be no monsters to fear.
In today's northwest, the strength of a thousand organized officers and soldiers is already very strong. They can go out to fight independently when they advance, and can protect themselves when they retreat. Even if they encounter extremely bad situations, the distance from Huangyangping to Xiazhou is enough to drag them to rescue.
Precisely because he understood this, Zhang Yan smiled brightly and his face looked much softer. He warmly received the several military academies who led the army, flattered them in every possible way, and kept complimenting them.
The Han military officer who led the team was named Wang Meng. He was a battalion-level cavalry commander. He was in the Xiazhou border army. He was in his thirties and was a member of the Han cavalry in the Mobei expedition. The Khitan died in his hands. There are no less than 20 Hu people outside the Great Wall. Although they have no outstanding military exploits, they are still elites selected by the cruel war in Mobei.
In fact, the expedition soldiers who were able to follow Wang Yansheng and Yang Ye back to the Han Dynasty alive had good results, and the court also made proper arrangements. In the reform of the military system, unless their age or physical condition did not meet the requirements, most of them stayed in the army and were assigned internal and external tasks. The armies exist as the backbone.
Wang Meng's luck was good. After the victory in the expedition, he was promoted two levels in a row, from a small commander to a hundred generals, and entered the ranks of junior officers.
In the subsequent reform of the military system, due to his solid combat experience, outstanding martial arts, and being in his prime, his military position was retained and transferred to Xiazhou. Later, he performed well in the military exercises in Xiazhou and was promoted from battalion deputy to battalion commander, leading a battalion of cavalry.
For a warrior with an ordinary background, it is already rare to become the chief officer of the first battalion in more than ten years. After all, this is not the beginning of the country. The Han Dynasty has been established for more than 30 years, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for civil servants to be promoted. , the same goes for military commanders.
Even this Wang Meng, behind his rise, was admired by the Duke of Yan Kingdom, otherwise his future would be equally uncertain. Perhaps it is more likely that he would retire from the army and return to his hometown after overage.
It's not like now, with a future, money, land and property in Xiazhou, and no shortage of lovely wives and concubines. Therefore, those with vested interests like Wang Meng were very loyal to the rule of the Han Dynasty, and they also held a resolute attitude towards suppressing the rebels.
"Commander Wang, everyone, Huangyangping is in a remote place and there is not much good stuff. The only things we have to offer are these jars of Qin wine and some beef and mutton. Wherever we wait, we still hope to see Haihan!" During the banquet, Zhang Yan smiled and said to several officers headed by Wang Meng.
"Wine and meat are enough!" Wang Meng smiled and raised his glass in response: "Brother Zhang's hospitality, we are very grateful!"
Hearing this, Zhang Yan immediately beamed with joy and became even more attentive. Of course, both of them were promoted by Wang Qian. With this relationship, they naturally became very familiar with each other.
As the wine got stronger and his face became red, he started to talk more. Wang Meng inserted a piece of meat into his mouth with a dagger, looked at Zhang Yan, and said meaningfully: "Brother Zhang, when I entered the town today, I saw this Huang Yangping man with an angry face and a fierce look in his eyes. It means hatred. It seems that the party members here are really restless!”…
Hearing what Wang Meng said, Zhang Yan showed a sympathetic expression. He also called him brother and brother, and sighed: "I am dissatisfied with Brother Wang. I have been worried about this for the past few months. If the Duke of Guo had not sent troops to station, I was really afraid that I would not be able to do anything." Suppress these Khitans.
The influence of Li Jiqian's rebellion was so bad that many party members were bewitched by it. Naturally, I, Huang Yangping, became a place of right and wrong.
However, with Brother Wang leading the army, I can let go of my worries! "
Zhang Yan still held Wang Meng in his arms without leaving any trace in his words. Wang Meng was naturally very satisfied after hearing this, and immediately said: "Brother Zhang, don't worry. I have been ordered to come here this time. It is for this matter that the Lord's wishes must be guaranteed." Huang Yangping is stable!"
"So good!"
"That traitor Li Jiqian is so audacious that he dares to openly rebel and betray the imperial court. He is so unforgivable!" Wang Meng cursed: "Because he escaped from pursuit twice, even the Duke was reprimanded by the imperial court, saying that we suppressed The bandits were ineffective and the Duke was in a bad mood.
How did the court know that although Li Jiqian had a small number of people, he was cunning and fickle. When he saw that the situation was not good, he decisively gave up and fled. In this vast sand moraine, if you want to completely annihilate him, you have to rely on luck. It's not that we didn't try our best to suppress the bandits, but the bandit leader is too cunning!
The Duke has made up his mind to send out troops to encircle and suppress this scourge! "Wang Meng said with emotion.
"Li Jiqian bucked the trend, tried to use his arms as a chariot, and rebelled against the court. He will definitely die without a burial place!" Zhang Yan agreed.
After drinking a glass of wine, Wang Meng said again: "Brother Zhang is one of our own, and I won't hide it. This time, the garrison in Huangyangping has other orders besides suppressing the place. Li Jiqian's bandits are now operating in the quicksand in the north. This Huangyangping Yangping is the gathering place of the party that he has direct access to. The Duke intends to build this place into an outpost for suppressing bandits. Soldiers, horses, ordnance, and food and grass will be transported later. Brother Zhang must be prepared to cooperate with the army! "
"There is no shirking the responsibility!" Upon hearing this, Zhang Yan immediately responded, and even showed joy: "The state government has ordered to clean up and investigate the party members under its jurisdiction to eliminate those who have rebellious intentions. It is just because of the lack of manpower. , the strength is insufficient, even if we know that some parties are rebellious or even collude with them, we still cannot carry out effective rectification. Since Brother Wang is here, please help me!"
Wang Meng naturally didn't say anything about this, nodded and said: "This is what should be done. The Duke will come to Huangyangping in person. The situation here also needs to be changed. It can't be such a mess. I think we should first clean up the inside and outside of the fort. Please clean up the surrounding party members!"
"Just follow Brother Wang's words!" Zhang Yan agreed very much.
"In addition, I think this town is not big and has limited capacity. Our thousand-step cavalry is easy to handle, but to accommodate the army, Brother Zhang needs to think of a way!" Wang Meng reminded.
"Brother Wang, don't worry!" Zhang Yan said with a smile: "I will arrange manpower to build a fortress outside the town tomorrow. Those party members can control their use to avoid giving them the opportunity to defect to Li Jiqian!"
"So good!"
Wang Meng was more satisfied with Zhang Yan's performance and had more smiles on his face. It was a great pleasure to exchange cups and cups. When the wine was full, Wang and Zhang had changed from calling each other brothers to holding hands. …
After having another drink with Wang Meng, Zhang Yan said with a smile: "Brother Wang, please forgive me for telling the truth!"
Wang Meng's drinking capacity is good, but compared with Zhang Yan, a veteran of the wine shop, he is still a lot worse, so he is already a little drunk. Hearing this, he also became interested and casually said: "You tell me!"
Zhang Yan: "Although Li Jiqian's rebellion is hateful and a bad thing for the court, it may not be so for a military talent like Brother Wang.
It should be noted that it is getting more and more difficult to get promoted and get an official position nowadays. If there is no such opportunity in ordinary times, wouldn't it be a waste of time.
Now that Li Jiqian has rebelled, Brother Wang can use this to reap the rewards of suppressing the rebellion. You are valued by the Duke. As long as you make achievements in suppressing the rebellion, you will have a bright future. If you can obtain Li Jiqian's head, you will be promoted three times in a row. level, it may not be impossible.
Opportunities like this can't be compared with grinding through qualifications or suppressing horse bandits! Therefore, Brother Wang should not be angry, but should be happy! "
After Zhang Yan said this, Wang Meng's eyes lit up and he felt suddenly enlightened. He became much more awake. He looked at Zhang Yan curiously and said, "I never thought that Brother Zhang would be so knowledgeable. Okay! If this is the case, do I still have to thank Li Jiqian for giving us the opportunity to make contributions? "
"I hope that Li Jiqian will not fall into the hands of others. I have to fight for his head!" Wang Meng laughed and patted Zhang Yan's shoulder hard: "The army is marching in to suppress, choose Huang Yangping as our leader." Outpost, this is also an opportunity for Brother Zhang! His promotion is just around the corner!"
"Thank you for your good words, Brother Wang!" Zhang Yan smiled and replied, "It is enough for Zhang to serve the court and the Duke and fulfill his duty, so how can we not have extravagant hopes?"
"Brother Zhang is such a loyal minister!"
"Brother Wang has the talent of a general!"
In April of Xia in the 21st year of Kaibao (983), under pressure from the imperial court, Duke Yan and Yulin Daodu commanded Wang Qian, changing his previous passive attitude and taking the initiative to march. Chen Bing and Huang Yangping were divided into Three groups of soldiers and horses marched north into Liusha, intending to eliminate the traitor Li Jiqian in one fell swoop by plowing the courtyard and sweeping holes.
